The quarterfinals of the Colorado high school basketball state tournaments for Classes 4A-6A take place Thursday through Saturday at Denver Coliseum. Our staff will be there throughout the weekend providing live coverage. Refresh this page for the latest updates and results.
Tournament info: Tournament brackets and results | 4A preview capsules | Day 1 coverage of 6A Great 8 | Day 2 coverage of 5A Great 8
Updates
That’s a wrap: The stands are empty, they’re sweeping the floor and the scoreboard has been turned off inside Denver Coliseum.
We had three days, 24 games and countless highlights. And now we have a Final Four in each of the three big classifications. Here’s who’s left in Class 4A:
Boys
No. 1 Northfield (24-2) vs. No. 4 Mesa Ridge (24-2), 4 p.m.
No. 2 Vista PEAK Prep (22-4) vs. No. 3 Windsor (22-4), 12:45 p.m.
Girls
No. 1 Holy Family (24-2) vs. No. 4 Resurrection Christian (23-3), TBA
No. 2 D’Evelyn (23-3) vs. No. 3 Riverdale Ridge (23-3), TBA
Class 4A boys final: No. 3 Lutheran 65, No. 6 Riverdale Ridge 31
Watch out, Resurrection Christian.
This Lutheran Lions team is ready for Round 2.
A year after getting eliminated by the Cougars in the Class 4A Final Four, the Lions (23-3) will get another shot at Resurrection Christian next Friday after putting on a clinic in the nightcap of the Great 8 on Saturday night in the Coliseum.
We’re talking about running-clock-in-the-fourth-quarter clinic.
Senior big man Hunter Caldwell scored 17 points while hitting all three of his 3-point attempts, senior guard Braydon Jacob tacked on 15 points and sophomore big man Kade Speckman threw down a trio of nasty dunks in the most emphatic win of the weekend.
The Lions shot 64.9% from the field, including 7 of 9 from 3-point range, and held Riverdale Ridge (22-4) to 27.3% shooting. The lead was 19-2 after one quarter, 35-7 at halftime and 56-17 going into the fourth quarter after Lalo Gonzales’ buzzer-beater 3 to trigger a running clock. That put him at 10 points on the game, making him one of four Lions in double figures.
The Ravens had no answer for the Lions’ length inside, nor could they stop the Lions guards from penetrating at will. It was just too much of everything for a Lutheran team that is going to be a tough out on Final Four weekend. — Matt Schubert
9:44 p.m.: Evan Makkai buries a corner 3 at the third-quarter buzzer to push the Lions to a 56-17 lead. Get the bus warmed up. This thing is over. — Matt Schubert
9:34 p.m.: The Kade Speckman dunk counter is now at three. Riverdale Ridge has shown some fight early in the third quarter, but it’s still all Lions. The score: 43-13 with 4:22 left in the third. — Matt Schubert
9:18 p.m.: Too big, too athletic and way too skilled. These Lutheran Lions are no joke. It’s 35-7 at halftime, and it doesn’t even feel that close. Everyone is eating. And, boy, is it something to behold. — Matt Schubert
9:15 p.m.: The Lions look ready for a return trip to the Final Four. Big man Hunter Caldwell’s third 3-pointer of the night put Lutheran ahead 26-7, and Hunter Speckman’s second dunk of the night moved the advantage to 30-7 with 2:06 left in the second quarter. Tack on a 3-pointer from Evan Makkai and it’s a 33-7 game with 59 seconds left in the half. Hooo boy. — Matt Schubert
9:07 p.m.: The Lutheran Lions are putting on a clinic, folks. Lutheran raced out to a 19-2 lead in the first quarter, with four of five starters scoring points. That included an emphatic two-handed alley-oop slam from Kade Speckman early on that got the Lions rolling. Lutheran now leads 23-7 with 5:00 left in the second quarter. — Matt Schubert
Class 4A girls final: No. 3 Riverdale Ridge 67, No. 6 Colorado Academy 36Â
The chant arose from Colorado Academy’s student section the moment after Brihanna Crittendon dared miss a free throw in the first half.
“Over-rated! Over-rated! Over-rated!”
It was the last opportunity they’d get to utter such business the rest of the night.
Crittendon, the five-star sophomore recruit who’s got nearly as many Division I scholarship offers as she does birthdays, dominated in her return trip to Denver Coliseum. A year after falling to D’Evelyn in the Great 8, the 6-foot-3 forward put up 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting with 14 rebounds and four blocks to lead the Ravens (23-3) to their first Final Four berth. They’ll face those same D’Evelyn Jaguars next Friday.
Crittendon scored the game’s first two baskets less than 40 seconds in and had 19 points by halftime. At that point, the Ravens led 35-21. Their edge grew from there, with junior Brooklyn Charlo making a star turn of her own with 20 points, nine rebounds and four steals.
Winnie Fenton led Colorado Academy (20-6) with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
8:17 p.m.: More of the same in the Coliseum. More Brihanna Crittendon brilliance. More Riverdale Ridge dominance. The Ravens appear destined for the Final Four, leading Colorado Academy, 52-26, going into the fourth quarter. — Matt Schubert
7:58 p.m.: Riverdale Ridge is in control at halftime. Five-star recruit Brihanna Crittendon already has 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, five rebounds and three blocks. Yeah, she’s good. So is Riverdale Ridge, which leads 35-21. — Matt Schubert
7:36 p.m.: Hello, Brihanna Crittendon. The sophomore forward scored the game’s first four points in 40 seconds, then got the last bucket of the first quarter to give Riverdale Ridge a 18-8 lead going into the second quarter. Crittendon already has nine points. — Matt Schubert
Class 4A boys final: No. 5 Colorado Academy 63, No. 4 Pagosa Springs 43
Simeon Woldeyohannes gave the Mustangs the lead, then his teammates took care of the rest to clinch Colorado Academy’s first trip to the Final Four since 2015.
The senior point guard exploded for 17 of his game-high 23 points in the opening 13 minutes — seven coming in a game-changing 13-0 second-quarter run — to stake the Mustangs (21-5) to a 29-17 lead. Pagosa Springs (24-2) got no closer than eight the rest of way, as the Pirates’ 23-game win streak came to an end in the Great 8.
Colorado Academy’s length made life difficult for the Pirates, particularly inside where the Mustangs held a 28-12 edge on points in the paint and 38-25 advantage on the boards. They were also lights out from 3-point range (6 of 12) and free throw line (17 of 21).
George Buyers added 15 points while sinking 11 of 12 free throws for Colorado Academy, and Clyde Love chipped in 13. Ridge Wilson led Pagosa Springs with 10 points.
6:39 p.m.: Colorado Academy is eight minutes from the Final Four. Jason Bratis’ putback puts the Mustangs up 55-35 just before the buzzer. This one is academic. — Matt Schubert
6:30 p.m.: Colorado Academy and Pagosa Springs trade 3-pointers, with Chase Harper burying two in a row to pull the Mustangs within 44-33 with 2:54 left in the third quarter. — Matt Schubert
6:28 p.m.: Colorado Academy’s lead grows to 41-27 after Simeon Woldeyohannes feeds Jason Bratis for an 8-footer. The Mustangs look comfortable with 4:01 left in the third quarter. — Matt Schubert
6:10 p.m.: Blake Laner saves Pagosa Springs from going 0 for the second quarter Saturday inside the Coliseum. A pair of putbacks pull the Pirates within eight of Colorado Academy at 29-21 going into halftime. Like the girls, the Pagosa Springs boys desperately need to find some offense in the third quarter. — Matt Schubert
6:05 p.m.: Simeon Woldeyohannes is shooting laser beams out of his eyes. The senior point guard converts an and-one lay-in in transition, putting him at 17 points with a free throw to come. The Mustangs lead 27-17 with 3:08 left in the second quarter. — Matt Schubert
6:02 p.m.: Clyde Love love soars to the hoop for a right-handed scoop shot to give Colorado Academy a 23-17 lead, the largest for either team, with 3:53 left in the second quarter. — Matt Schubert
5:54 p.m.: Colorado Academy and Pagosa Springs trade haymakers through the first eight minutes, with the Mustangs’ Simeon Woldeyohannes landing the last blow on a step-back 3 just before the buzzer. Colorado Academy goes into the second quarter leading 16-15. — Matt Schubert
Class 4A girls final: No. 4 Resurrection Christian 53, No. 5 Pagosa Springs 44
Olivia Klein caught fire, the Resurrection Christian defense locked in, and now the Cougars are headed to the Class 4A Final Four for the first time in more than 17 years.
A back-and-forth opening quarter gave way to 11 minutes, 12 seconds of defensive dominance from the Cougars (23-3). Pagosa Springs (21-5) missed 19 straight shots from the floor, Klein knocked down two of her four 3s, and a 17-16 Pirates lead turned into a 33-20 Cougars edge.
The junior guard finished with a game-high 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while junior post Lysette Baatz added 15 on 6-of-9 from the field.
A desperate fourth-quarter rally from the Pirates drew them to within six when junior Karsyn Shahan (13 points) buried a 3-pointer from the wing with 2:20 to go. But Bethany Vrooman kicked it out to Mackenzie Flikkema for a 3-pointer dagger of her own on the other end, and the Pirates never got any closer.
Next up: Top seed Holy Family in next Friday’s Final Four.
5:21 p.m.: Pagosa Springs’ last-ditch rally falls short. Chalk this one up to the dominant defensive stretch from Pagosa Springs between the second and third quarters when the Pirates missed 19 straight shots from the field. — Matt Schubert
5:17 p.m.: Karsyn Shahan’s wing 3-pointer pulls Pagosa to within 50-44 with 2:20 to go, but Resurrection Christian answers on the other end with Bethany Vrooman kicking out to Mackenzie Flikkema for a 3-pointer dagger of her own. Resurrection Christian leads 53-44 with 1:24 to go. — Matt Schubert
5:13 p.m.: Pagosa Springs is refusing to go quietly. After back-to-back 3-pointers, the Pirates are within single digits for the first time in a long time. It’s 50-41 with 2:36 to go and Pagosa Springs just got the ball back on an RCS turnover. — Matt Schubert
5:02 p.m.: The Pagosa Springs offense came to life at the end of the third quarter, but Resurrection Christian remains in control. The Cougars lead 46-30 going into the fourth quarter with Olivia Klein sitting at 16 points and Lysette Baatz at 11. — Matt Schubert
4:55 p.m.: Olivia Klein soars to the hoop for a left-handed scoop shot to give Resurrection Christian a 38-23 lead with 2:53 left in the third quarter, Annie O’Donnell answers on the other end, but it’s just not enough right now for Pagosa Springs. The Pirates missed 19 straight shots between the second and third quarters, and the Cougars lead 40-25 with 2:09 left in the third quarter. — Matt Schubert
4:34 p.m.: After an offensive outburst to end the first quarter, Pagosa Springs went ice cold in the second quarter, shooting 0 of 12 from the field as Resurrection Christian turned a one-point deficit into a 29-19 halftime lead. The Pirates’ two points both came at the free throw line. — Matt Schubert
4:30 p.m.: Olivia Klein is heating up. The Resurrection Christian guard knocked down back-to-back 3s for the Cougars. Tack on a pair of free throws and she has eight points in the second quarter alone. The Cougars now lead 28-19 with 1:04 left in the second quarter. — Matt Schubert
4:22 p.m.: Only four points scored midway through the second quarter, and two of those were technical free throws for a Pagosa Springs bench player having their feet on the court when play began. Weird. It’s 20-17, Resurrection Christian with 3:33 left in the second quarter. — Matt Schubert
4:13 p.m.: Behold, Karsyn Shahan, the one-person press break. The Pagosa Springs junior guard just put her stamp on the end of the first quarter with a pair of fast-break buckets, including a fake-and-take of the highest order. It’s 17-16, Pagosa Springs, going into the second quarter. — Matt Schubert
4:07 p.m.: We got ourselves a barn-burner to start, with the lead changing hands five times already. Knotted at 11 with 2:32 left in the first quarter. — Matt Schubert
Class 4A boys final: No. 2 Resurrection Christian 74, No. 7 DSST: Montview 54
Resurrection Christian coach Ryan Yoder found the perfect word to describe his team’s dominating in-the-paint performance against DSST: Montview in Saturday’s quarterfinal game.
“Tenacity,” Yoder said.
En route to their 74-54 victory, the Cougars outrebounded the Knights 47-12, snarred 19 offensive rebounds, had 24 second-chance points and scored 52 points in the paint.
“Watching film on these guys, we knew they didn’t box out too well,” said junior Graham Riggs, who scored a team-high 21 points and hauled in eight rebounds. “We have a lot of height and strength on our team, so we figured if they weren’t going to box us out we’d have a lot of layups and put-backs.”
Senior Marcus Phillips muscled his way to a double-double, scoring 16 points and hauling in 11 rebounds.
“We have out-rebounded every opponent in every game this year, including Lutheran, who has two 6-9 guys,” Yoder said. “Part of the reason we do that is that we send two guards back (on defense) and we send the other three guys to the boards with reckless abandon.”
Resurrection Christian (24-2), which lost year’s 4A championship to Holy Family, is once again in the Final Four. The Cougars will play the winner of Saturday night’s late game between Riverdale Ridge and Lutheran.
Montview, led by junior guard Harun Hamma’s 16 points, kept within range for most of the game by using their quickness and shooting 7 of 19 from 3-point land, but it wasn’t enough against a Cougars team that looks like it’s on a mission.
“I think we’re playing great,” Riggs said. “We won by 20 points in the Great 8 and I don’t know if we could be playing better basketball. I hope we will bring that energy next week to the Final Four.”
Some possibly bad news for RC was an injury suffered by junior Cade Crutcher. He banged his head against a Montview player late in the game and had to be helped off the court. Crutcher was very wobbly coming off the floor.
“I just know that he banged his head hard,” Yoder said. “I don’t know if it’s a concussion.”
— Patrick Saunders
2:55 p.m.: Possible bad news for RC junior Cade Crutcher. He banged his head against a Montview player and leaves and game. He was very wobbly coming off the floor. — Patrick Saunders
2:50 p.m.: Cougars muscling their way to victory. Dominating on the boards. They lead, 70-52, with 1:18 left. Marcus Phillips has 16 points and 11 rebounds. — Patrick SaundersÂ
2:39 p.m.: Knights making a little noise. They’ve cut the lead to 53-41 with 6:40 left. — Patrick Saunders
2:35 p.m.: Entering the fourth, Cougars leading Knights, 51-36. RC has scored 32 points in the paint. — Patrick Saunders
2:29 p.m.: Rebound tally: Cougars 27, Knights 9. — Patrick Saunders
2:25 p.m.: RC is muscling the ball inside and dominating the boards in the third period. They lead 42-28 with 4:30 left in the third quarter. — Patrick Saunders Â
2:10 p.m.: The Cougars finished the first half with a rush to push their lead to 35-22 lead. Junior Graham Riggs turned in the play of the game, timing his leap perfectly for an offensive rebound and then scooping the ball between defenders for the put-back.
Montview junior guard Harun Hamma is playing an excellent game and keeping the Knights in the game. He has 11 points. — Patrick Saunders Â
2:02 p.m.: Resurrection is starting to take control. Ty Yoder with a steal and a gorgeous left-handed layup. Cougars lead, 28-20, with 3:30 left in the first half. — Patrick Saunders
1:54 p.m.: Cougars leading the Knights, 17-13, after the first quarter. Cade Crutcher leads the Cougars with five points. — Patrick Saunders
1:49 p.m.: We’ve got two quick, athletic teams going after each other early. It’s 11-11 with 3:05 left in the first. — Patrick SaundersÂ
Class 4A girls final: No. 2 D’Evelyn 55, No. 7 University 39
The Jaguars are headed back to the Final Four.
With Peyton Marvel and Macy Scheer leading the way, D’Evelyn eliminated University from the Class 4A girls bracket for the second year in a row.
The D’Evelyn press was devastating (23 University turnovers) and Marvel was, well, marvelous, finishing with 21 points, 15 rebounds and four steals on 8-of-14 shooting. Scheer added 10 points and five rebounds for the Jaguars (23-3), who took the game over with a 26-2 run in the first half and kept University at bay the rest of the way.
Credit to the Bulldogs (21-5), who briefly made things interesting with a 13-0 run to pull within 40-28 near the end of the third quarter. But that was as close as they would get the rest of the way.
Now the Jaguars are one win away from a return tip to the championship round, where they can claim the program’s first state title. — Matt Schubert
1:10 p.m.: D’Evelyn is keeping University at bay, up 47-30 with 4:33 left. Ingrid Dalla’s 3-pointer from the wing might’ve been the final dagger. — Matt Schubert
1:03 p.m.: This thing isn’t over yet. University goes on a 13-0 run to pull within 12, with Addison Harding leading the way. But Megan Schonberger restores order for D’Evelyn, pulling the ball out on a fastbreak and draining a 3-pointer from the wing right at the buzzer. The Jaguars lead, 43-28, going into the final quarter. –– Matt Schubert
12:39 p.m.: We’re 16 minutes away from D’Evelyn returning to the Final Four. Just an absolutely dominant first half from the Jaguars, who lead 34-13, and Peyton Marvel in particular. The senior forward has a double-double at halftime with 14 points and 12 rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting. Throw in three steals as the head of the snake on the D’Evelyn press, and Marvel has been marvel-ous. — Matt Schubert
12:32 p.m.: It’s all D’Evelyn, folks. The run is now 26-2 since the 3:18 mark of the first quarter. The defense is swarming, the fast break is humming and the Jaguars are rolling. It’s 31-9 with two minutes left in the second quarter. Good gravy. — Matt Schubert
12:27 p.m.: What do ya know? More Marvel. Peyton Marvel adds to her own mini-run with a baseline jumper and fastbreak layin off a long pass from Macy Scheer. D’Evelyn is in control up 20-9 with 4:24 left in the second quarter. — Matt Schubert
12:20 p.m.: Peyton Marvel takes over in the final two minutes of the first quarter, with her corner 3-pointer part of a six-point outburst as D’Evelyn takes a 16-9 lead. — Matt Schubert
12:15 p.m.: D’Evelyn’s Macy Scheer buries a 3-pointer from NBA range to give the Jaguars their first lead of the game. It’s now 11-7 D’Evelyn with 1:35 left in the first quarter. — Matt Schubert
12:11 p.m.: We’ve got a defensive slugfest unfolding between University and D’Evelyn. The two teams traded 5-0 runs and now we’ve settled in with the Bulldogs up, 7-5 with 3:25 left in the first quarter. — Matt Schubert
Class 4A boys final: No. 1 Kent Denver 74, No. 9 DSST: Green Valley Ranch 56
Final, Kent 74, Green Valley Ranch 56: Sun Devils cruise into the 4A Final Four. Dominating performance. –– Patrick Saunders Â
11:38 a.m.: Green Valley Ranch nearly beat Kent in late January, falling 72-69. But Kent has dominated every aspect of this game. Sophomore Caleb Fay just rammed home an alley-oop jam. He’s got 21 points and the Sun Devils lead, 72-53, with 2:14 left. — Patrick SaundersÂ
11:25 a.m.: The top-seeded Sun Devils are back in command after three quarters. They lead the Raptors, 58-41. Caleb Fay leads with 11 points but Kent is getting a lot of help off the bench. It’s a very deep team. — Patrick SaundersÂ
11:20 a.m.: Kent leads 53-36 late in the third quarter. The game has gotten a little sloppy. GVR has committed 20 turnovers and Kent has 14. — Patrick SaundersÂ
11:11 a.m.: The Raptors are on a little run, forcing Kent into a timeout. Lead is down to 43-34 with 6:24 remaining in the third quarter. — Patrick SaundersÂ
10:57 a.m.: Kent Denver, cool and composed, is playing like a top seed. It leads the Raptors, 41-27, at halftime. Sophomore Caleb Fay leads Kent with nine points. Kent’s lead grew to 18 late in the second half.
The Raptors took an early 9-4 lead but the Sun Devils went on a 19-5 run to take control of the game. — Patrick Saunders Â
Class 4A girls final: No. 1 Holy Family 52, No. 9 Peak to Peak 25
Top-ranked Holy Family rained 3-pointers on the Pumas en route to an easy 52-25 victory in the quarterfinals of the girls Class 4A state tournament Saturday morning.
The Tigers sank 8 or 18 shots from beyond the arc, not an easy task in the cavernous Denver Coliseum. Included in the barrage was a 40-foot banker by Gracie Ward at the second-half buzzer and a 35-foot swisher by Enyiah Contreraz at the first-quarter buzzer.
“We practice those, all the time, for those situations,” said Essyence Contreraz, the dynamic senior point guard who led Holy Family with 12 points.
Holy Family, under legendary head coach Ron Rossi, is back in the Final Four as Rossi shoots for a record-breaking eighth state title as a girls coach.
Peak to Peak’s only real chance Saturday was to feed the ball into 6-foot-5 junior post player Alexandra Eschmeyer. The Stanford commit scored a game-high 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting and displayed some nice moves inside, but it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome Holy Family’s shooting, slick passing and tenacious pressure defense. The Pumas committed 26 turnovers vs. only seven by Holy Family.
Ward, a sophomore guard, added nine points for the Tigers, who improved to 24-2. In next week’s Final Four, they’ll meet the winner of Saturday’s game between No. 4 Resurrection Christian and No. 4 Pagosa Spring. — Patrick Saunders
9:46: Julia Hodell’s layup puts Tigers ahead 50-25 with 2:50 left. — Patrick SaundersÂ
9:35: Top-ranked Holy Family is turning the game into a rout with excellent shooting and full-court pressure. Tigers lead 40-23 after three quarters. — Patrick Saunders
9:26 a.m.: Holy Family senior Essyence Contreraz showing her skills with a driving, reverse layup. She has seven points and the Tigers lead the Pumas, 30-19 midway through the third. — Patrick Saunders
9:11 a.m.: Wow! Triple Wow! It’s raining 3’s for Holy Family. Gracie Ward banks in a 40-footer at the buzzer and the Tigers lead the Pumas, 24-15 at the half. Tigers have made 6 of 15 3-pointers. — Patrick SaundersÂ
9:04 a.m.: Holy Family is 5 of 9 from downtown and they lead the Pumas 21-10. We’re talking way downtown. Sophomore Enyiah Contreraz has made three 3’s. — Patrick SaundersÂ
8:55 a.m.: Quite a contrast early on in this game. The Pumas are playing an old-fashioned post-up offense, feeding the ball inside to 6-foot-5 junior Alexandra Eschmeyer. Holy Family is trying to spread the floor. Eschmeyer already has six points (including a nice hook shot), but Enyiah Contreraz drills a 35-foot, 3-pointer at the buzzer for Holy Famil.y We’re tied, 10-10. Good game. — Patrick SaundersÂ
8:40 a.m.: The third and final day of the Great 8 has arrived at Denver Coliseum. First up: A matchup between the defending Class 4A girls champions, Holy Family, and upstart Peak to Peak, led by Stanford commit Alexandra Eschmeyer. — Matt Schubert
Schedule and results
Class 4A boys
No. 1 Kent Denver (23-2) vs. No. 9 DSST: Green Valley Ranch (19-5), 10:15 a.m.
No. 2 Resurrection Christian (23-2) vs. No. 7 DSST: Montview (23-2), 1:15 p.m.
No. 5 Colorado Academy (20-5) vs. No. 4 Pagosa Springs (24-1), 5:30 p.m.
No. 6 Riverdale Ridge (22-3) vs. No. 3 Lutheran (22-3), 8:30 p.m.
Class 4A girls
No. 1 Holy Family (23-2) vs. No. 9 Peak to Peak (21-4), 8:45 a.m.
No. 2 D’Evelyn (22-3) vs. No. 7 University (21-4), 11:45 a.m.
No. 5 Pagosa Springs (21-4) vs. No. 4 Resurrection Christian (22-3), 4 p.m.
No. 6 Colorado Academy (20-5) vs. No. 3 Riverdale Ridge (22-3), 7 p.m.
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.